Bleach: Conquest
by Xolcm
Summary: A group of Soul Reapers, calling themselves 'The Warlords' invade the Seireitei with the intention of destroying the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Ichigo once again gets himself involved in their fight, in order to protect his friends.
1. Chapter 1

It was just another peaceful morning in Karakura Town. Ichigo was sitting on his bed, putting his shoes on, getting ready for school. When he was finished, he got up and walked over to the wardrobe and knocked on the door. "Hey, Rukia. Hurry up in there, we gotta go."

The door opened almost immediately, and Rukia hopped out, her eyes closed, not even looking at Ichigo, with an indifferent look on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you." She then turned away from Ichigo, picked up her bag, and made her way out of the room. Ichigo followed after her, with a straight look on his face.

The two them made their way downstairs, where Yuzu was preparing breakfast, and Karin was sitting at the table eating cereal. Yuzu looked up from what she was doing as the two of them entered the kitchen, and she smiled warmly at each of them. "Good morning you two."

Rukia took the time to stop ay Yuzu's greeting, and respond with one of her own. "Good morning to you too." She then bowed to her, and gave a big, obviously exaggerated smile, but Yuzu didn't seem to notice.

Ichigo, however, just walked past them, all casual like. "Yeah, yeah." When he reached the table, he picked up a piece of toast and continued walking along. He then looked back at Yuzu and Rukia. "We're gonna head to school now. Sorry we can't stay for breakfast." He then faced forward again. "Come on, Rukia."

"Coming," Rukia replied, following after him.

Yuzu watched as the two of them left, looking a bit disappointed to see them leave so soon. "Oh, okay." She then clutched at her apron and looked down at the floor.

Karin watched the two of them pass her, as she sat at the table, eating her cereal. She simply rolled her eyes lazily at them as they passed the table. When they were gone, she just went back to focusing on her breakfast.

When Rukia made her way outside, Ichigo was standing just outside the house waiting for her, with his school bad slung over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get going."

Rukia briefly closed her eyes, and sighed in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time."

She then walked up beside him, and with that, the two of them started walking to school.

As Ichigo and Rukia approached the school, there were several small groups of students gathering together outside, talking to each other before another school day. As Rukia looked ahead, she smiled when she saw Orihime and Chad talking up ahead. She waved and called out to them, and they both turned around to wave back at her. She then made her way over to them, with Ichigo following slowly behind her. He was now beginning to smile and loosen up a bit for the first time since waking up.

When they had all caught up, they started talking and laughing with each other about everything. As they were enjoying themselves, they were completely oblivious to the mysterious person observing them from afar.

Just to the side of the school grounds, there was a man up in a tree, who was watching the small group of four carefully. He wore a black, sleeveless gi, with a small, white belt, and a black scarf. He also wore two wristbands on either wrist, a black cowl that wrapped around his head, and a visor that covered his eyes. He observed the group through a pair of binoculars; one in particular. He then lowered the binoculars and spoke to himself. "Rukia Kuchiki; your time has come." He then raised the binoculars again and continued watching the group.

As the bell rang, the several small groups of students began to disperse and made their way inside the building. When most of the students had already entered the school, Orihime, Chad, Rukia and Ichigo turned towards the building and made their way inside.

When the strange man saw the students start to leave the area, he lowered the binoculars again, and made his way out of the tree. Seeing that they were about to enter the building, the mysterious man quickly moved from the tree to the area on the other side of the path, at a speed that was too quick to follow, and ducked behind a bush.

Ichigo thought he heard something, so he stopped and turned around to see what it was. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but when he didn't see anything, he just shrugged his shoulders and turned back around towards the school.

After Ichigo had turned back around, the mysterious man poked his head out of the bush to look at them again. Seeing that they were about to enter the building, he placed his hand on a sword at his side and stepped out of the bush. He then very quickly drew his sword, and put on a sudden burst of speed, dashing towards Rukia. As he was almost upon hear, he held out his sword in front of him to strike her.

Ichigo and Rukia both suddenly sensed him at the last moment, and turned around just in time to see him, inches away from her.

BOOM!

There was suddenly a big blast and the mysterious man was sent flying back. Ichigo was still in a state of shock. He looked back at the others, and he saw Chad, with his armed stretched out in a punch. He then lowered his arm again and looked over at where the mysterious man had fallen.

Ichigo quickly got over his shock and turned to face the mysterious man. "Hey, what the hell was that for!" He yelled out in an angry tone of voice.

The mysterious man picked himself up so that he was kneeling down, with his hands pressed against the ground for balance. He then raised his head up to the side, but didn't face them directly. "Rukia Kuchiki?" He said in straight voice.

Rukia suddenly became confused, and simply responded, "Y-yes?"

The mysterious man then stood up completely and turned to face her. "I am here to send a declaration of war." He then looked down at each of them as they all looked even more surprised. "Now you will die!" He then grabbed his sword and charged towards them again.

Ichigo snarled at him. "I don't think so." He then quickly reached into his pocket and took out his combat pass. He pressed it against himself, and he turned a Soul Reaper. He then quickly grabbed his sword off his back and met the mysterious man's sword. He then swung with all of his might and pushed him back. "Why the Hell are you doing this?"

The mysterious man responded calmly. "I already told you. Rukia Kuchiki will die as a declaration of war to the Soul Society."

Ichigo gritted his teeth and snarled at him. "You're declaring war on the Soul Society? But you're a Soul Reaper too, aren't you?"

The mysterious man suddenly lost his level headedness and charged at Ichigo again. "How dare you associate me with those monsters!" He charged ahead as he spoke, and swung his sword at the Substitute Soul Reaper.

Ichigo met the man's sword with his own, and swung back at him. The two of them then continued their fight, matching each other's strikes blow for blow.

After a minute or two of fighting, the mysterious man jumped back, away from Ichigo. "I have no quarrel with you, Substitute Soul Reaper. Now stand aside."

"No way!" Ichigo responded. "Nobody hurts my friends while I'm around."

The mysterious man grounded his teeth and gripped his sword tightly. He then released his grip again. "Fine. Then you shall die with them." He then raised his sword up in front of him, and charged at Ichigo again.

The two of them continued fighting each other. It was just a simple fight, with their swords colliding, each trying to strike the other. After another minute, Rukia suddenly stepped forward. "Alright, that's it. I've had enough of this." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a Ginkongan and popped one into her mouth. After she swallowed it, she exited her Gigai. She then immediately gripped her Zanpakutō and charged forward. "Let's go."

Chad then summoned power into his right arm, and charged into battle alongside her.

As Ichigo crossed swords with the mysterious man again, Rukia and Chad suddenly charged into the fray. The man immediately swung to knock Ichigo away, and attack Rukia. His sword collided with hers, but then Chad came in and swung his fist at him, forcing him to jump back.

He landed several feet away, and stood back up immediately. He looked back over at the three of them as they all took their battle positions. "I didn't plan on fighting this many, and at my level, I might not be able to beat you." He then dropped his sword and it fell to the ground.

Ichigo was glad that he had apparently given up, but as soon he took one step forward, the mysterious man continued talking, louder this time. "But you'll never make a prisoner out of me!" He screamed out. He then grabbed a small knife from under his belt, and held it up to his throat. Ichigo, Rukia and Chad all reacted in shock to this.

"I've already accomplished my mission and delivered the message, regardless of whether or not I killed the Soul Reaper girl. You won't get any more out of me." He then brought the knife closer to his neck.

Ichigo suddenly shouted out, "Don't do it!"

"It's already over. You are all going to die." He then concluded, "For the Warlords." He then slashed the knife across his throat, sending blood everywhere.

Everyone gasped in shock as the mysterious man killed himself. Less than five seconds later, his body turned into light and dissipated before it even touched the ground.

The four of them all looked on in confusion, particularly Ichigo. "What the Hell just happened?"

After that situation had resolved itself, they all proceeded into school; but all day, they couldn't forget about what had just happened.

Once school was out, they all made the way over to Urahara's shop, to see what Kisuke could make of all of this.

The five of them all sat around a small table in the middle of the room. Each of them had a cup of tea, but none of them had touched theirs, except for Kisuke.

After Kisuke had heard their explanation of what had happened, he took another drink of tea and then he spoke. "Warlords, huh?" He spoke calmly, as he looked up from his tea. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm positive," Rukia replied. "The mysterious man said he was sending a declaration of war against the Soul society, courtesy of a group, called themselves 'The Warlords'."

"I see," Kisuke said, before taking another sip of his tea. "This may present a problem."

Ichigo looked over at Kisuke as he spoke. "Kisuke, what do you know about them?" He spoke calmly, but inquisitively.

Kisuke put his cup of tea down on the table, and turned to face Ichigo. "Not much, I'm afraid. Even my knowledge of the Warlords is limited." He then turned back around so that he was facing everyone. "What I do know is that five hundred years ago, they were a special group of Soul Reapers, born with an extraordinary amount of Spirit Energy. Their Shikai alone could rival a Captain's Bankai."

Everyone let out a surprised gasp at this. After waiting a moment, Kisuke continued with his explanation. "Eventually, the Soul Society decided that they were too dangerous, and ordered a purge."

Everyone let out another surprised gasp, but Ichigo's was the loudest. "Wait a minute. You mean they decided to kill them just for being who they are?"

Kisuke looked back at Ichigo, his face still as blank as ever. "From what I've heard, it would appear so. However, the whole thing was quickly swept under the rug and covered up, so I could be wrong. They haven't been seen since then, so it seemed like they were gone for good. However, it looks like they're still around; and apparently ready for war."

Ichigo let go of his angry breath, and looked down.

Rukia looked over at Ichigo in worry. She then looked back and down at the floor. "With how badly they've been treated by the Soul Society, I guess their revenge is justified…"

"Not a chance!" Ichigo suddenly shouted out. Everyone quickly looked over at him. "That happened over five hundred years ago. There's nothing justified about taking revenge against people who had nothing to do with it."

Everyone looked at Ichigo closely, as they took in what he just said. Rukia then smiled and looked up.

"Unless of course," Ichigo suddenly spoke up, but in a less serious tone of voice, and with a less serious look on his face. "… Rukia was there five hundred years ago. Then it would be at least part way justified."

Rukia suddenly jumped up and smacked Ichigo in the head. "You think I'm over five hundred years old? How dare you?"

"Relax, I was just kidding," Ichigo said, with a look of indifference on his face, as he scratched at the back of his head.

While they continued to ramble, Kisuke calmly took another sip of his tea, and then stood up to address them all. "Serious or not, while the possibility exists, it's best to air on the side of caution. I'll pass the message along to the Soul Society."

He was about to leave, when suddenly, he felt a powerful burst of Spirit Energy just outside. The others felt it as well, and they all snapped to attention.

Ichigo and Rukia ran out of the shop, now in their Soul Reaper forms. They stopped just as they left when they saw a Senkaimon open up in the sky, just above them.

As the Senkaimon started to open up more, they could make out three figures stepping out of it. On one side was a man wearing a light blue haori, with a green coat over it. He also wore an orange scarf around his neck and a big purple hat on his head. He had a very relaxed expression on his face.

On the other side was a young girl. She wore a white and light blue haori, with purple strappings around her waist and shoulders, with strange patterns on them. She wore her hair in a ponytail, tied back with a large purple ribbon. She had a very calm look on her face.

The one in the middle was a young man. He wore a simple white haori, with bits of armor around his waist, shoulders and stomach. He also wore a strange headpiece, and a red scarf with the same pattern that the girl had on her strappings. He had a strong look of determination on his face. All three of them carried a sword at their side.

Ichigo stared intently at them as they exited out of the Senkaimon and it closed behind them. The young man in the middle then looked down at Ichigo and stared at him intently.

He then spoke, while still keeping his gaze on Ichigo, but not speaking to him. "So that's the Substitute Soul Reaper?"

He then moved to address the man on his right, without moving his gaze from Ichigo. "Ujisato, you deal with him," He ordered.

The man turned to face him, bowed and placed his clutched fist over his chest as he spoke. "Yes, Captain." He then turned back to face Ichigo and looked down at him. He then grabbed his sword, pulled it out of his sheathe and charged towards Ichigo.

Ichigo quickly grabbed Zangetsu off his back and blocked the incoming attack.

In the Soul Society, the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had all assembled at the Squad One barracks for a Captain's meeting. They were all lined up in order, with Soifon, Unohana, Byakuya, Shunsui, Toshiro, and Mayuri on one side, and Komamura, Kenpachi, and Jūshirō on the other side, with the Head Captain at the top.

"Alright," Yamamoto called out. "This Captain's meeting is hereby called to order." He then turned his head to the side. "Captain Hitsugaya, please start us off."

"Yes, Head Captain," Toshiro spoke up. He then turned to address all of the Captains. "We just received word from Kisuke Urahara in the World of the Living about a possible emergency."

"WHAT!" Captain Kurotsuchi suddenly screamed out. "Why are we sitting here, wasting our time on something that fool is going on about?"

"It's word of a possible invasion!" Toshiro retorted. The other Captains were now on edge, listening intently, except for Captain Kurotsuchi.

"A possible invasion? And just who might be invading us?" Captain Kurotsuchi asked sarcastically.

"If what Kisuke told us is correct, it's a group calling themselves 'The Warlords'." Yamamoto's eyes opened wide immediately.

The other Captains now looked around, confused. "The Warlords?" Jūshirō inquired, as he placed his hand to his chin in thought. He then looked over at Shunsui on the other side of the room. "Have you ever heard of them, Shunsui?"

Captain Kyōraku looked up, while adjusting his straw hat. "Can't say that I have."

"Of course, you haven't," Mayuri cut in. "That's because the Warlords are nothing more than a fairy tale that mothers tell their children at night." He then sounded more annoyed. "Trust me, if the Warlords were real, then I would have found proof of it long ago."

"Enough!" the Head Captain cut in. Mayuri looked over at him in annoyance, but didn't voice his concerns. "I can assure you that the Warlords are very real, and they once almost led to the destruction of the Soul Society." He then stood up. "Whether or not these rumours are true, if there is a possibility of them being true, then we cannot afford to be lenient."

Just then, the door to the barracks opened up, and Chōjirō Sasakibe burst in. He knelt down immediately. "A thousand apologies for interrupting the Captains meeting, Head Captain, but this is an emergency." He then looked directly up at Yamamoto, a worried look engraved on his face. "All four of the Gatekeepers have been defeated."

Yamamoto's eyes widened again. He then clanked his staff against the floor. "Listen up. As of right now, the Seireitei is in a state of emergency. If it is indeed the Warlords that we are up against…" he took a pause before continuing. "Then all Soul Reapers ranked below Lieutenant are to stay out of the field. If they engage the enemy, then the casualties would be astronomical."

The other Captains all looked at the Head Captain intently, some worrying if the Warlords were really strong enough to worry even the Head Captain. Kenpachi, however, was grinning excitedly at the prospect of a good fight.

"Now then," Yamamoto continued. "All Captains and Lieutenants are to split up and investigate all four gates. If you encounter the Ryoka, then you are to eliminate them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir," all the other Captains responded.

"Dismissed."

Outside the walls of the Seireitei, a man stood beside the bloody body of a huge gatekeeper. The man wore a long, purple coat, with gold trims along the edges. Beneath the coat, he wore a black armor, which ran all along his body underneath. He had a beard and goatee combo, and wore his hair in a ponytail. He held a long, ebony blade at his side, stained with blood. His face was completely blank.

He walked right up to the sekkiseki rock, placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. He was then able to sense the energy of whoever else was touching it. _"Can everybody hear me?"_

He received a total of fifteen affirmatives. As soon as he had heard everyone, he smiled devilishly.

After staying pressed up against the rock for one minute, he then took a step back as the gate began lifting itself up. As the Seireitei on the other side came into view, he smiled devilishly again. Without waiting for the gate to open up all the way, he stepped inside. He was followed closely by a young man, who looked rather effeminate. He wore a purple haori, with gold patterns on the sleeves, and a white blazer over it. He had long, black hair, tied back in a ponytail.

As soon as he was inside the Seireitei, the huge gate behind him suddenly crashed down and shut behind him. Amidst the deafening crash, the man just smirked devilishly again.


	2. Chapter 2

As the huge gate of the Seireitei opened up, four figures stepped through the new opening. The one in front was a man, with very long crimson hair, tied back in a ponytail. His whole face was painted grey, with two feline-like lines on either side of his face, painted in black. He wore black mail armor, with a single shoulder pauldron on his left side. He had extra armor on his arms, ending in what looked like a small claw-like weapon on his wrists. He walked out ahead of the other three, and flash stepped up on to the roof of a nearby house, still within sight of the others he entered with. He perched himself on top of the chimney, in a sitting position, while holding his knees.

One of the three people behind him; a woman with short brown hair, wearing a tight, golden haori, with two shoulder pauldrons, exposing her impressive bust, stepped forward to call out to him. "Hey, Kotarō." She leaned forward and placed her hand to the side of her mouth as she called out to him. "Be careful if you go on ahead, okay." She said sarcastically.

Kotarō sat perched on the roof of the building, and turned his head back around to face her. "Sure thing, Nene." He responded just as sarcastically.

He then turned his head back around again. He looked solemn and serious. He then whispered to himself. "The Seireitei. After all this time, I'm finally back." After just sitting there, with a serious look on his face, staring ahead for about ten seconds, he suddenly smirked devilishly. "Perfect."

He then stood up and flash stepped away.

Kotarō sailed over the roofs of the Seireitei, making his way towards the centre.

Kotarō suddenly sensed something coming towards him, and he flash stepped out of the way just in time to see Soifon whiz passed him.

Soifon was surprised that he had been able to dodge her attack. She had a look of surprise on her face, but she wiped it off and quickly looked serious again, before she turned her head back around to face Kotarō. He was standing to attention just behind her. They were both standing on the air. After five seconds of just staring at each other, she then turned completely around to face him, and smiled arrogantly at him. "Impressive, Warlord. I'm impressed that you were able to dodge my first attack."

Kotarō simply stared back at Soifon, with his arms crossed.

"The name's Kotarō; and I don't need praise from a Soul Reaper; least of all you, Captain Soifon; The Head of the Stealth Force."

Soifon dropped her arrogant smile, and stared him down. Kotarō was then the one to smile arrogantly. "That's right, I know all about you, Captain. And I must say, I'm disappointed." He then tilted his head to the side slightly. "I mean, what kind of an assassin can't even sneak up on her enemy. But then again, your technique is outdated."

At this, Soifon just smirked. "Outdated huh? Well then, just wait until you see this little technique. I assure you; it will be the last thing you ever see." She then drew her Zanpakutō and raised it up to her. "Sting all enemies to death: Suzumebachi." Soifon's Zanpakutō then started glowing, and shrunk down to a smaller size. It then took the form of a small stinger, mounted on her right arm. She then struck a pose in front of Kotarō, showing off her new weapon.

At the sight of this, Kotarō first looked surprised, but then he quickly went back to smirking derisively at her. "Suzumebachi: Death in two strikes. It's an amusing technique; but like I said, it's outdated."

Soifon narrowed her eyes at him when he said this. Kotarō then continued speaking, but looser than before. "I mean, what kind of assassin has to strike their enemy twice in order to kill them. All it does is give away your position and make it easier for the enemy to defeat you." He then shifted his position slightly. "And the marks it leaves on their bodies show exactly where you're going to strike, and make it easier for them to defend themselves." He then narrowed his eyes at her. "You're a disgrace."

Soifon snarled back at him at this.

Kotarō then closed his eyes, looked down and placed his hand on his Zanpakutō. "Now allow me to show you…" He then raised his head, opened his eyes, and spoke louder. "What a real assassin's Shikai looks like." He then drew his Zanpakutō and held it out to his side. "Tear apart at the seams: Zucaria."

Kotarō was then suddenly engulfed in a whirling wind. Soifon raised her arm to her head to steady herself. When the wind was beginning to subside, Soifon was able to see Kotarō again, but his appearance had changed slightly. His black mail armor became a stronger, sturdier armor, with cross sections on his forearms. He also gained bigger pauldrons on both of his shoulders, and his hair grew longer, no longer held up in a ponytail. He then held his left arm out to the side, now sporting a much bigger, three-pronged claw.

When the transformation was complete, Kotarō grinned back at her again, and then gestured to her with his new weapon. "This is my Zanpakutō, Zucaria: Death in a single strike." Soifon's eyes widened a bit in response to this. Kotarō then turned his head back towards her. "All it takes - is one single scratch." He then pointed his Shikai towards her.

The next second, he flash stepped and disappeared. Soifon suddenly sensed him just behind her, and turned around just in time to block his attack. She then jumped back away, and Kotarō flash stepped towards her again.

The two of them continued trading blows, each of them trying to strike at the other their Shikai. They kept flash stepping around to try and catch the other off guard.

After several minutes of doing this, the two of them clashed against each other; their stingers striking against each other. Soifon them jumped backwards, and Kotarō did the same, in the opposite direction.

Soifon stared back at her opponent, about a hundred feet away. They were both equal in strength and speed, so she needed to think of something else to gain the advantage. She then thought something and smirked in response.

The next second, she charged off towards Kotarō again. He simply smirked back at her, but then she used her cloning technique and she was suddenly surrounded by a dozen clones.

Kotarō looked worried for a moment after he saw this, but he quickly regained his composure. He then flashed off towards her.

When they got close to each other, Kotarō struck at who he thought was Soifon, but after his attack had made contact, he found it was just one of the clones. The clone disappeared once it was hit. Kotarō pulled back as soon as he saw that he chosen wrong. He then quickly dodged an attack from behind, from another one.

He then flashed ahead and struck another one, but it was just another clone. He snarled at his mistake and then turned around the face the rest of them. There were still over ten of them staring back at him, and only one of them was real.

He then decided to charge all of them at once. He flash out ahead and started swiping at the group in front of him. He struck at several of them, but they all just vanished as soon as he did. He was about to strike again, when suddenly, he felt something strike him from behind. He suddenly looked worried as soon as he felt the hit, and turned his head back to look at what it was.

He saw Soifon, with her Suzumebachi struck in his back. As soon as she had landed a hit, a butterfly mark appeared on his back, around the area hit. She then raised her head from her target, to look him in the eye. She simply smirked back at him, while he had a look of worry on his face.

However, a few seconds later, Kotarō suddenly broke into a huge smirk. Soifon was confused at this, but then suddenly she felt a small scratch across her cheek. She only just felt it, and it was only a small cut, but the pain was so intense, that she immediately fell out of the sky, and landed on one of the buildings below.

Kotarō watched in glee as she fell. He then flash stepped down to where she landed, and looked down at her. Soifon was lying on her side, twitching in agony, clutching at her cheek.

Kotarō shifted his head to the side slightly and smirked as he looked down at her. "See, what did I tell you? Death in a single strike."

Soifon looked up at him and tried to respond, but she was in too much pain. Kotarō continued looking down at her and crossed his arms. "You feel it, don't you? The pain of death. The last thing you feel before you feel nothing at all. Remember the pain, because that is exactly what death feels like. The end of everything; the pain of losing it all. There is nothing more painful."

He then shifted his position slightly. "That's another weakness of your technique. It administers the poisons painlessly. The victim doesn't even realise what's happening until it's too late to even comprehend what just happened. And that's not what death is about." He then narrowed his eyes. "You know nothing of death."

Soifon shot an angry glare at him. She wanted to get back up, but she was just too weak.

"Stop fighting it," Kotarō continued. "You'll be dead in a minute." Kotarō then briefly looked behind him, before turning back to face her. He then uncrossed his arms. "I'm kind of on a time clock here." He then raised his Zanpakutō out in front of him, between him and her. "I don't usually do this, and you deserve nothing less, but I'm going to strike you again and kill you right now. I need to move on, but I also need to make sure that you're taken care of."

Kotarō then raised his claw up above his head and brought it back down. Soifon's eyes widened as she saw the attack coming, but she was helpless to stop it. However, when he brought the strike down, Soifon was gone. He briefly wondered what had just happened, but then he suddenly sensed something and turned around to see a figure retreating in the distance.

As Kotarō was bringing his attack to her, Soifon had felt something grab her. She opened her eyes to see a familiar, dark skinned face smiling down at her. "Lady Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi smiled back at Soifon in her arms, as she sailed over the rooftops of the Seireitei. Suddenly, she heard something flash beside her. She turned her head to see Kotarō strike at her. She quickly backed away to dodge it, and retreated down to the rooftops. She placed Soifon down before flashing back up to the sky to resume her fight the Dark Warlord.

Yoruichi leapt back into the sky and quickly came face to face with the Dark Warlord again. They both stood on the air, across from each other. Kotarō simply stared back at her, his arms at his side, with a serious expression on his face. "Yoruichi Shihōin." He stated. Yoruichi simply stared back at him with an equally serious expression.

"So… you've come to fight me," Kotarō continued. He then smirked again. "Good. Your death will bring an end to the Soul Reapers bravado, and they'll know just how outclassed and outdated they truly are compared to us." He then narrowed his eyes. "You stand no chance against me."

After hearing this, Yoruichi just smirked back at him and said, "So, are you done running your mouth?"

Kotarō snarled at her, but then he just smirked at her again. "You're certainly confident, aren't you? But tell me; how do you plan to fight in close quarters against an enemy that you can't risk getting close to?" He then raised his Zucaria up in a taunting motion at her.

Yoruichi just smirked back at him. "What makes you think I won't risk getting close to you? I don't think you're fast enough to make me worry."

Kotarō just snarled at her again. "Well then, why don't we find out?" He then flashed stepped towards her. Yoruichi then quickly flash stepped out of the way to dodge the attack.

When she was out of the way, she turned around to face Kotarō, but then she heard another flash, and he was behind her. Yoruichi looked worried and turned her head around to see Kotarō smirking at her. He then moved his Zanpakutō to strike her in the back; however, Yoruichi quickly turned around and grabbed his left arm and threw him away to the side.

As Kotarō soared through the air, he caught sight of Yoruichi sailing towards him. Steadying himself in the air, he moved to strike at her again, but Yoruichi just ducked to avoid it, and punched Kotarō right in the stomach. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, and sent him flying further away. Without missing a beat, Yoruichi flashed after him again; she then channelled her Spirit Energy into her fist, and shouted, "Shunkō!"

A blast of Spirit Energy then shot out of her fist at lightning fast speed, right towards Kotarō. He was too weak from her last attack to dodge it, and the attack collided with him, creating a huge explosion.

Yoruichi jumped back in the air and looked on as the explosion started to fade. Kotarō then came into view again as the smoke cleared. He was kneeling forward on one knee, and had several injuries and he was panting hard. He then looked up and over at Yoruichi, with an angry glare on his face.

The two of them just stayed there, glaring at each other for about half a minute. Kotarō then leaned forward, stood up and flashed stepped towards her. Yoruichi quickly got back into a battle stance. "_He's already been plenty weakened,"_ she thought. _"Just a little more from here."_

Kotarō then appeared in front of her and raised his Zucaria to strike at her. Yoruichi again grabbed his left arm to cancel his attack; however, as soon as she got close and grabbed his left arm with her right, he then suddenly showed a surprisingly still full reservoir of strength left, and grabbed on to her with his right arm, holding her in place. Yoruichi's eyes widened in concern. Kotarō then smirked, and, in a quick motion, struck at her with his Zucaria.

Yoruichi quickly pulled her head back in recoil, and broke out of his grasp. She then kicked him in the chest, as she back flipped away from him. As she was jumping back, she kept her eyes on him carefully, preparing for a counter attack, with the strength that he still had in reserve. However, she quickly noticed that he wasn't chasing after her; he was smirking.

Yoruichi looked more worried now, but then suddenly felt a small scratch on her cheek; she had been hit. She clutched at her cheek to feel the wound, and immediately began feeling intense pain. The pain was so intense that she couldn't stay walking on the air and fell down towards the Seireitei below, landing on a rooftop.

Kotarō smirked arrogantly as he watched her fall, and then flash stepped down to her.

Yoruichi landed on a rooftop, cracking the surface as she landed. She lay sprawled out on her stomach, clutching at her cheek. She tried to stand up, but the pain was just too much. She then heard a flash next to her, and she looked up to see Kotarō standing over her. She tried to stand up again, but she couldn't.

Kotarō stood over Yoruichi, with his arms folded. He looked down at her, with a judging expression his face. "Pathetic. I told you that you were no match for me; and you let your cockiness get in the way of your victory." He then narrowed his eyes. "Underestimating an enemy will only get you killed."

Yoruichi struggled to look up at him. "Couldn't I say the same thing about you? You Warlords seem to be underestimating us Soul Reapers. Outright invading us on our home turf was a risky move, and could get you killed. Do you really think that you can defeat us as easily as you say?"

Kotarō continued looking down at her as she spoke, with a serious expression on his face. "Underestimate you?" He smirked. "Hardly. Our Master's power is without equal in all of the Soul Society. Even your Head Captain fears his power; he has feared him for the past five hundred years. All of us surpass you Captains in every conceivable way. That's a fact." He then narrowed his eyes and looked serious again. "The Soul Society will fall. You're all going to die."

Kotarō then raised his Zucaria up to his side again. "Now as much as I do enjoy watching you squirm like the maggot you are, I have to get going. There are more Soul Reapers out there that I need to exterminate; and with you out of the way, my speed is without rival." He then lowered his Zucaria towards her, inches from her face. Yoruichi braced herself for the attack that was to come. "Farewell, Yoruichi Shihōin."

Kotarō smirked widely as he prepared for his strike; but then, he suddenly felt something strike him in the back. His eyes went wide in shock as soon as he felt it. With a worried look on his face, he slowly turned around to see Soifon standing behind him, with her Suzumebachi impaled in his back, in the same spot that she had hit him before. For the moment, Kotarō couldn't speak he was in so much shock from the sight in front of his eyes. Soifon then casually looked up and met his gaze with her own.

"Impossible." Kotarō finally spoke, the words coming out slowly. "You should be dead."

Soifon continued just staring back at him, with a stoic expression on her face. "I would be dead," she started. "If it wasn't for your outdated technique."

"What?" Kotarō exclaimed as angry as he could.

"Your Zanpakutō can kill in a single hit, but the poison takes too long to take effect. I had plenty of time to counter it with some of my own, and set up this trap to catch you." Kotarō just stared back at her, wide eyed. "And my Zanpakutō… Kills instantly." Kotarō's eyes went wide again. "Nigeki Kessatsu." She then quickly pulled her Suzumebachi out of his back.

Kotarō threw his head back in sudden pain as Nigeki Kessatsu began to take effect. Soifon flashed over to Yoruichi's side, and then they both looked over to the Dark Warlord, as he slowly hobbled away from them.

Kotarō very weakly raised his right arm up as he slowly walked away. "No." he said quietly. "No! It can't end like this! I refuse to be defeated by a Soul Reaper! I will not accept it! I will not allow it!"

Soifon and Yoruichi both looked on as he hopelessly tried to fight against his fate. They then both looked surprised Kotarō started to fade away in a bright light. The light started at his feet and began quickly spreading up his body.

As Kotarō began fading away, he threw his head upwards and shouted out, "NOOOOOOO!" He then faded away completely, his body dissipating into a bright light, and then scattered all around them.

Motochika suddenly felt Kotarō's Spirit Energy disappear. He then turned to face Motonari, who was right next to him. "Did you feel that?"

Motonari turned to face Motochika. "Yeah, I did. It seems that Kotarō has been annihilated." Motonari then placed his hand to his chin. "This may present a bit of a problem. Kotarō was the fastest amongst us, and he was still defeated." He then lowered his hand and turned to face Motochika again. "We should be careful not to underestimate our enemies from this point on."

After hearing this, Motochika just turned away from Motonari, and faced forward again, at the two Captains' in front of them; Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku. "These Soul Reapers are going to pay for everything they've done; for everything they've taken."

Jūshirō then spoke up. "If you hadn't come here, then none of this would have happened."

Hearing this just made Motochika even angrier. "You actually think that we're the ones in the wrong here! He shouted out. He then clenched his fist tight. "Know this, Soul Reaper; when you're lying down, dying, remember that the Soul Society struck first. Everything that happens is on you." He ended by pointing his finger at Jūshirō. By the time he stop talking, he was still huffing in anger.

Jūshirō took in what this Warlord was saying, but then he just put on a strong look of determination.

Shunsui then let out a long sigh, and adjusted his hat. "Well then, I guess there's no way around it. Talking is off the table." He then turned to face Jūshirō. "Come on, Jūshirō."

Captain Ukitake nodded back at him. "Right." He then turned to face the two Warlords again. He then drew his Zanpakutō, clutched in his two hands and held it at his side. "All waves, rise now and become my shield. Lightning, strike now and become my blade." His Zanpakutō then split at the hilt, into two twin swords, connected at the hilt by a long, beaded chain. "Sōgyo no Kotowari." He then held the twin swords, one in each hand, striking a battle pose.

Captain Kyōraku then reached under his Captain's haori and pulled out the small, twin daggers that constituted his Zanpakutō. "Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar." He then held his two swords out in front of them, crossed over each other in a cross formation. "Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer." His two small daggers then changed into a pair of huge, black, twin, curved swords, with silver edges, and red tassels on the hilts. "Katen Kyōkotsu." He then held both of his new swords in either hand, and struck a pose, similar to Jūshirō.

Looking over at the two Soul Reaper Captain's activating their Shikai, Motochika just stared back at them, with a stoic expression on his face. He then grinned in their direction. "Alright then, let's go." He then drew his Zanpakutō from its sheathe at his side, and thrust it skyward. "All waves crash upon the shore and then disappear. The heavenly spear strikes down all in its path: Samurott." Motochika was then briefly engulfed in a whirlwind. When the wind had passed, Motochika became visible again, but his physical appearance had changed slightly. His black and grey hair was now blue and gold. His coat, while previously wore across half his chest, was now a proper, silver and black coat, with blue trims along the side, and hung open, revealing his chest. He now also sported golden, spiked pauldrons on his shoulders, and the chain around his waist was gone. His Zanpakutō had also changed from a simple asauchi, to a long, pointed spear, attached to its guard by a long chain. Motochika held the guard in one hand, and held the middle of the chain in his other hand. He then started spinning the chain around at his side, causing the spear to spin around fast at his side.

Motonari then drew his Zanpakutō, and held it out in front of him, pointing it at the two Soul Reaper Captains in front of him, gripping it with both hands. "The coiling grass sweeps beneath the enemy's leg. It is the smallest creature that will endure, but the largest that will reign supreme: Serperio." Motonari was then engulfed by a whirling wind as well. When the whirling wind subsided and he became visible again, his physical appearance had also changed. His coat was now much greener, and his collar was higher. His Zanpakutō was now much bigger and broader than it was before. He then lifted it up with both hands and pointed it at the two Captains across from him.

After the four Captains had released their Zanpakutō, they all stayed where they were, staring each other down, trying to intimidate the others. After thirty seconds of this, they then all charged forward to begin fighting each other.

Nō walked along the path of the Seireitei, with her lieutenant Okuni at her side. As she walked, Nō's expression was blank and betrayed all emotion.

As Okuni walked beside her, she had a quizzical expression on her face. "Captain Nō? You felt Captain Kotarō's Spirit Energy disappear a while back, didn't you?"

Nō responded to her without stopping or turning to face her. "Of course I did." Her tone of voice was hollow, but powerful. "Our Master gave us explicit orders not to die. If Kotarō couldn't accomplish that, then he had no right to stand with us, or to call himself a Warlord." Okuni found her tone intimidating and quickly looked away and continued walking along, without saying a word.

As the two of them continued walking along, Nō looked ahead and saw Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu standing ahead of them, blocking their path. Nō and Okuni came to a stop and simply stared back at the two Soul Reapers across from them. Nō then said quietly, so that only Okuni could hear, "Well now, looks like it's time for us to fight."

Captain Unohana finally spoke up. "That is far enough. You may not go further." When she was finished speaking, Captain Unohana just stared back at them, also with a blank expression on her face.

Nō stared back at her for a few seconds, and then smirked. She then simply stated, "Retsu Unohana. There aren't many Soul Reapers left that I would remember…"She briefly paused before continuing. "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Unohana didn't physically react to this at all. Nō then took a step forward, and held her hand out to the side, towards her Lieutenant. "Stay back, Okuni. You're going to have to leave this fight to me."

Okuni looked at her Captain quizzically, but then nodded in affirmation. "Okay."

Nō turned her head away from Okuni, and faced back to Captain Unohana again. She then drew her Zanpakutō and held it up in front of her, pointing it at two Soul Reapers in front of her. "Release and despair: Mismagius."

Nō was then engulfed by a whirling wind. When it subsided and she became visible again, her physical appearance had changed. She gained more clothes, that looked like they were made of a fine silk, with the Warlords symbol just above her bust. She also gained a big, purple hat, and her Zanpakutō now had a ghostly, ethereal appearance. She then gave an arrogant smirk to Captain Unohana.

Unohana didn't seem fazed, but hardened her gaze back at her. When she didn't say anything in response to her releasing her Zanpakutō, Nō swung her sword down to her side, and moved to address Captain Unohana. "Captain Unohana, you've never seen my Shikai before, have you?" When she didn't respond, Nō continued speaking. "Well then, how about a little demonstration?"

Nō then gripped her Zanpakutō, and simply struck it out in front of her. Unohana prepared herself for a counterattack, but nothing seemed to happen. However, she then suddenly heard Isane grunt as if she had been struck. She turned to face her, and she was struck speechless as she saw that her Lieutenant had a large wound through her stomach.

Concluding that what happened had something to do with Nō's Shikai, Unohana turned back to face her, now looking annoyed and angry. Nō still stood where she was, with her Zanpakutō clutched in her hand, pointed towards them; however, while it still retained its ethereal appearance, the tip of the sword wasn't there anymore; it just cut off in the middle.

As Unohana simply looked on in confusion, Nō simply smirked at her again, and then pulled her Zanpakutō away. As she pulled it away, the tip of the sword returned, and next to Unohana, Isane fell over, coughing blood and clutching the wound on her chest, that was now much bigger than the last time she looked at her. "Isane!" Unohana called out.

Isane fell on to the ground and started to lose consciousness. As her vision faded to black, the last thing that she saw was her Captain standing over her.

Isane opened her eyes again to find her Captain kneeling over her body. She smiled widely when she saw that she had regained consciousness. "Isane; good, you're awake."

"C-Captain? W-What happened?" She stuttered, as she was still feeling very weak.

"You were attacked by the Ghost Warlord Captain. Don't worry; I defeated her. And her Lieutenant as well." She then smiled back at her again.

Isane took in what her Captain had just told her. "How long was I passed out?"

"Oh, about ten minutes." Unohana simply stated.

Isane's eyes suddenly darted open. _Ten minutes? She defeated a Warlord Captain and her Lieutenant in just ten minutes?"_ As Captain Unohana continued treating her injuries, Isane looked at her Captain's physical well-being, and she was surprised to see that she didn't have a single scratch on her. "_Just how strong is my Captain?"_

Mitsuhide walked along the path of the Seireitei, with his Lieutenant, Gracia on his shoulders.

"Hey, Dad," Gracia asked. "Where are all those mean, nasty Soul Reapers that we're supposed to kill?"

Mitsuhide turned his head to face her, and placed his hand on her cheek. He then spoke calmly. "They're everywhere here. We'll have to fight them soon enough."

After listening to his answer, Gracia then smiled warmly back at him. "Don't worry, Dad. No Soul Reaper is a match for you. You were chosen to be the Ice Captain by our Leader himself. You'll beat every big, bad Soul Reaper we come across."

When Gracia was finished speaking, Mitsuhide then smiled back at her. "Yeah, you're right." His expression then suddenly changed as he felt a strong Spiritual Pressure nearby. He faced forward again, and he saw Kenpachi Zaraki standing ahead of him, with a sadistic grin on his face.

Mitsuhide quickly put on a strong expression again, and stared back at Kenpachi. "Gracia," he said, addressing her, without turning to face. "Find somewhere safe nearby. I'll handle this."

Gracia stared back at her father, with a slightly worried expression on her face, but then she quickly switched to a strong expression. "Right." She then hopped off of his shoulder, and jumped over to a wall nearby, where she could observe the fight.

With Gracia in a safe place, Mitsuhide turned back to face Kenpachi. He then drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it at him.

Kenpachi stared back at the Ice Warlord, his sadistic grin now even bigger at the sight of his eagerness to fight. "So, you're a Warlord, huh? I just hope all the stories that I heard about how strong you are are true." He then gripped his sword tightly. "I could use a good fight."

"Always eager for a fight, and not caring who you strike down. A typical Soul Reaper." Mitsuhide retorted. "That is exactly why you must be put down."

"Hah, bring it on," Kenpachi laughed. "Come and try; and make sure that you give it everything you've got."

Yachiru then popped up from behind Kenpachi's shoulder. "Yeah, you can do it, Kenny!" She said in her usual peppy attitude.

"Get out of here, Yachiru," Kenpachi said, turning his head to face her. "This is gonna get ugly." He said as he turned his head back to face the Ice Warlord.

"Sure thing, Kenny." Yachiru responded. She then leapt off his shoulder and landed on the wall, next to Gracia. Then then both faced forward to watch the fight.

"Go Kenny."

"Go Daddy."

Mitsuhide and Kenpachi then both charged towards each other, and their swords collided.

Ichigo's Zanpakutō clashed with Ujisato's Zanpakutō again, as they continued with their battle. Ujisato continued with his relentless assault, but Ichigo was able to keep up with everything blow that was thrown against him, and parried each strike easily.

While the two of them continued fighting, the Normal Captain up above, was observing Ichigo carefully.

Ujisato and Ichigo then both jumped backwards from each other after their last strike. "Ujisato," the Captain called out to him. Ujisato turned around to look up at him immediately. "You handle the Soul Reaper girl," he said as he withdrew his Zanpakutō with his left hand. "I'll handle the Substitute Soul Reaper myself." Ujisato complied immediately.

"What?" Ichigo asked, hearing the exchange between the two Warlords. While he was distracted, Ujisato flash stepped passed him, and his Zanpakutō collided with Rukia's Zanpakutō, and they continued to fight.

Ichigo looked back at them as they began their fight, but then he heard the Captain flash towards him, and he turned back around to block his attack. With their swords crossed, Ichigo was able to see the Normal Warlord Captain up close. His face was completely calm and collected. Ichigo just steadied his face into an expression of resolve, and then swung his sword hard and pushed him back.

The force of his strike pushed the Captain back a few feet, but he steadied himself quickly. He then stared back at Ichigo intently. "Now it's time for your real test." He said calmly, before moving forward again to strike at Ichigo.

Rukia and Ujisato's Zanpakutō collided with each other again, with both combatants pushing with all of their might to try and push the other one back. Rukia gritted her teeth as she tried to overpower him; however, after about ten seconds, Ujisato pushed harder, and knocked Rukia back several feet. She remained standing on two feet, but she was panting hard.

Ujisato then swung his sword to his side. "Just give up. There's nothing you can do that will defeat me."

Rukia glared back at him in response, but then she also smirked at him, knowingly. "Oh, you think so, huh?" She said in a smug tone. Ujisato griped at this. "Well then," she continued. "Allow me to show you the full extent of my power."

Rukia then held her Zanpakutō out in front of her and turned it in a circle, counter-clockwise. "Dance: Sode no Shirayuki." After she had released her Shikai, her Zanpakutō turned a brilliant white. She then struck her sword into the ground several times, and then aimed it out in front of her, pointing it at Ujisato. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren." She then shot a huge beam of ice out of her Zanpakutō, towards the Warlord.

As the attack approached Ujisato, he didn't try to dodge or block at all; he just smirked to himself. When the attack had almost reached him, he then simply said, "Burn: Darmanitan."

The ice from the attack then burned away, and turned into a big cloud of steam. Rukia raised her arm up to her face to shield herself, as the cloud of steam rushed passed her. When the steam cleared, she was able to make out Ujisato in the middle of it, completely unscathed. His physical appearance hadn't changed, and he was no worse for ware, though his Zanpakutō was now glowing a bright orange with the heat.

After the cloud around them had dispersed, Ujisato took a step forward and quickly flashed ahead of himself, towards Rukia.

Rukia raised her Zanpakutō immediately to parry the attack; however, as soon as the two swords collided, Rukia was immediately pushed back by the force of the blow.

As she was sent flying back, he quickly steadied herself in the air, and landed back down on the ground. After she had regained her footing, she stood back up and looked over at Ujisato.

He looked as calm and collected as his Captain had earlier. He then spoke, simply, "Fire beats ice." He then took another step forward and charged towards Rukia again.


End file.
